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Mazda 6, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

50,111 Mazda 6s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 69.2% of initial MOT tests, 3.1 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Mazda 6? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Mazda 6 at the MOT

69.2% of 56,489 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Mazda 6 363rd of 575 models. Mazda 6s aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mazda 669.2%
  • All Mazda modelsThe Mazda 6 is 3.5 pts behind72.7%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mazda 6 tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years4,742 tests88.5%
  • 6 to 10 years25,429 tests75%
  • 11 years and over25,745 tests59.4%

Where Mazda 6s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Mazda 6 tests in 2025.

  • Suspension23.8%
  • Brakes23.8%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment22.1%
  • Tyres10.2%
  • Visibility6.5%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6.8%), ball joint excessively worn (5.2%) and coil spring fractured or broken (4.7%).

The MOT page lists every common Mazda 6 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Mazda 6 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Mazda 6's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.23.8% of Mazda 6 failure items

  2. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.23.8% of Mazda 6 failure items

  3. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.22.1% of Mazda 6 failure items

Mazda 6s in the UK

50,111 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 54% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−54%from 109,634 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
First registered in 2025
6against 8,216 in 2015
Declared off the road
10,28417% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mazda 6s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014109,634
End of 2015109,584
End of 2016107,720
End of 2017101,478
End of 201894,324
End of 201989,076
End of 202082,415
End of 202176,554
End of 202271,175
End of 202365,250
End of 202459,072
End of 202553,165
End of June 202650,111

How old they are

Licensed Mazda 6s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 356 were first used before 2005.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20238086
2022694731
2021637671
20201,0321,077
20194,3834,606
20183,2273,455
20174,5925,240
20166,4677,918
20156,0108,216
20145,368
20133,587
20122,370
20113,062
20103,767
20092,679
20082,089
20071,427
2006765
2005440

6,010 Mazda 6s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 73% of the 8,216 first registered that year.

Mazda 6 engines and fuel

2.2 litre engines made up 50% of Mazda 6 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 42%. Diesel accounts for 51% of licensed Mazda 6s and petrol for 49%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 56,475 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.2 litre50.1%
  • 2.0 litre41.7%
  • 1.8 litre3.9%
  • 2.5 litre3.7%

Fuel type, licensed Mazda 6s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol24,68449%
Diesel25,40151%
Gas260.1%

Mazda 6 recalls

29 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mazda 6. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Mazda 6 is affected.

  1. Jan 2022 R/2021/435

    Low pressure fuel pump impeller might become deformed

    Mazda 6s built Apr 2018 to Oct 2018 · 26,974 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The impeller in the low-pressure fuel pump may become deformed causing fuel pump failure.
    Remedy
    Replace the low-pressure fuel pump with an improved part.

  2. Dec 2021 R/2021/411

    Fuel may leak from fuel pump rings

    Mazda 6s built Jul 2005 to Jul 2007 · 1,924 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the fuel pump rings with new ones.

  3. Jul 2019 R/2019/218

    Hydraulic valve clearance adjuster may operate incorrectly

    Mazda 6s built Mar 2018 to Apr 2019 · 2,252 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software controlling the hydraulic valve clearance adjuster may operate incorrectly.
    Remedy
    Reprogram the system with improved hydraulic valve adjustment control software.

  4. Jul 2019 R/2019/187

    Soot may accumulate around the intake shutter valve on the inlet side of the engine

    Mazda 6s built Jan 2012 to Jun 2018 · 70,435 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check clean or replace the intake shutter valve and update software.

  5. Nov 2018 R/2018/321

    Takata passenger air bag inflators may not operate as intended

    Mazda 6s built Aug 2007 to Jan 2010 · 25,435 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Passenger airbag inflators may not operate as intended.
    Remedy
    Replacement of Airbag Assembly on affected vehicles.

  6. Sep 2018 R/2018/284

    Takata driver and passenger airbag inflators may not operate as intended

    Mazda 6s built Mar 2006 to Sep 2007 · 15,017 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Driver and Passenger airbag inflators may not operate as intended.
    Remedy
    Replacement of Airbag Assembly.

  7. Sep 2018 R/2018/277

    Passenger airbag inflator may not operate as intended

    Mazda 6s built Jun 2002 to Jun 2005 · 1,500 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On the subject vehicles the passenger airbag inflators may not operate as intended.
    Remedy
    Replacement of passenger airbag Assembly

  8. Sep 2018 R/2018/244

    Takata driver airbag inflators may not operate as intended

    Mazda 6s built Jun 2002 to Jun 2005 · 27,262 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Driver airbag inflators may not operate as intended.
    Remedy
    Replacement of Airbag Assembly on affected vehicles.
How to check a specific Mazda 6 for recalls

Other Mazda models

The most-tested Mazda models in 2025, against the Mazda 6's 69.2% MOT pass rate.

All 11 Mazda models

Mazda 6 FAQs

How many Mazda 6s are there in the UK?

50,111 Mazda 6s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 10,284 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mazda 6 reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 69.2% first-time pass rate for the Mazda 6 across 56,489 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mazda 6 had any recalls?

29 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mazda 6. The most recent was published in January 2022. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Mazda 6?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Mazda 6's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Mazda 6?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Mazda history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Mazda VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.